1. living. loving. playing. praying. 2. and writing about it in as few words as possible.

June 29, 2017

So, This is Me, Part 2

DNA Test Results – Part 2

You know those commercials where DNA test results are revealed and the recipient is visibly emotional and or surprised? That’s real, y’all.

Growing up, I was told and I believed that my maternal grandmother was bi-racial; her mother was Black and her father Native American. I met my great-grandfather on two occasions and what I remember is that he was very old and very mean. He didn’t look like an Indian to me, but at that I age I thought feathers should have been in his hair and a pony in the backyard. My grandmother, his only child, remained defiantly silent on the subject of paternal genetics and went to her grave never to reveal her tribal information. I was excited because this test was going to finally reveal the answers about my maternal grandmother’s Native American roots and if my African brother was correct in his assumption that I was from Ghana.

I’m 28% Cameroon/Congo; 20% Ivory Coast/Ghana; 18% Nigerian and 9% Benin/Togo. 86% West African descent. 86%, which according to my genealogy consultant friend, this is an exceptionally high percentage.

Based on my ancestry pie chart and years of professional expertise, my friend believes that I could be of the Igbo Tribe. My ancestors would have been taken by Portuguese slave traders, traded and sold in Virginia, South/North Carolina and Maryland. As agricultural slaves of cotton and tobacco farming, these early West African ancestors did not mix “enough” with the whites to pro-generate descendants with a higher percentage of European DNA – thus explaining my lower than average percentage of 12%.

So, I’m like West African-African. Black-on-Black Black. Like singing the opening African chant from the Lion King Black -- which, by the way, is what I felt like doing right there at my friends dining room table. But, I didn't know the words because they are in Zulu.

Instead I could have given a rousing rendition of Patti LaBelle’s Lady Marmalade’s: “Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir? Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?” Those words roll off my tongue with very little effort. French words and phrases – a language I’ve been smitten since Madeline and high school French classes. Weird right?

Well, maybe not so weird after all. Did you know that French is one of the official languages of Cameroon, the Ivory Coast and Benin/Togo?

Comments

So, This is Me, Part 2

DNA Test Results – Part 2

You know those commercials where DNA test results are revealed and the recipient is visibly emotional and or surprised? That’s real, y’all.

Growing up, I was told and I believed that my maternal grandmother was bi-racial; her mother was Black and her father Native American. I met my great-grandfather on two occasions and what I remember is that he was very old and very mean. He didn’t look like an Indian to me, but at that I age I thought feathers should have been in his hair and a pony in the backyard. My grandmother, his only child, remained defiantly silent on the subject of paternal genetics and went to her grave never to reveal her tribal information. I was excited because this test was going to finally reveal the answers about my maternal grandmother’s Native American roots and if my African brother was correct in his assumption that I was from Ghana.

I’m 28% Cameroon/Congo; 20% Ivory Coast/Ghana; 18% Nigerian and 9% Benin/Togo. 86% West African descent. 86%, which according to my genealogy consultant friend, this is an exceptionally high percentage.

Based on my ancestry pie chart and years of professional expertise, my friend believes that I could be of the Igbo Tribe. My ancestors would have been taken by Portuguese slave traders, traded and sold in Virginia, South/North Carolina and Maryland. As agricultural slaves of cotton and tobacco farming, these early West African ancestors did not mix “enough” with the whites to pro-generate descendants with a higher percentage of European DNA – thus explaining my lower than average percentage of 12%.

So, I’m like West African-African. Black-on-Black Black. Like singing the opening African chant from the Lion King Black -- which, by the way, is what I felt like doing right there at my friends dining room table. But, I didn't know the words because they are in Zulu.

Instead I could have given a rousing rendition of Patti LaBelle’s Lady Marmalade’s: “Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir? Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?” Those words roll off my tongue with very little effort. French words and phrases – a language I’ve been smitten since Madeline and high school French classes. Weird right?

Well, maybe not so weird after all. Did you know that French is one of the official languages of Cameroon, the Ivory Coast and Benin/Togo?

Search

Detox

Not Your Stuff

Someone mentioned I should have a copyright notice on this blog. I can't imagine why anyone would want to "copy" my words, thoughts, pictures and whatever else I put up, but then again what do I know? With the exception of the photos on "Chanukah O Hanukkah", "Driving" , "Ani l'Dodi" and the "Every Woman Should" badge, the other pictures (including the banner) are mine, taken with my with little camera. All writing content came from deep inside my head, so I guess that makes those words and thoughts mine also. So please, if for some crazy reason you want to "borrow" something from here, drop me an email first. Thanks, Friends.